Joe Root has been re-appointed as England's Test captain, following the sudden international retirement of Ben Stokes. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) handed the reins back to the 35-year-old batting great, who previously led the red-ball side for five years before stepping down in April 2022.
While young batter Harry Brook was heavily speculated to take the captaincy, the ECB leadership instead entrusted Root for the high-profile role, enabling the former to focus on his individual growth.
Root's second tenure officially begins with the three-Test home series against Pakistan, starting on August 19 at Headingley.
While Stokes is happy for Root's second Test captaincy stint, he is only worried about the personal toll, recalling the veteran batter’s past struggles.
“I love Rooty. I wish him nothing but success," Stokes said on For The Love Of Cricket podcast. “I hope he goes on to achieve amazing things in his role of captain, and I think he’s going to really enjoy it with Flem. He’s a great man. I’ve worked with Flem before. But I told Joe: ‘my only worry is you’. And that’s all I really care about now with Rooty just because I saw what he went through and how much he put himself through."
“He just always put the team first; he always came second. That is just my only concern with it: knowing what he went through last time he was in charge of the team because I don’t want to see that ever happen again because I care for Joe a lot. But I wish him all the success in the world. I’m sure he’s going to do great so I’m looking forward to seeing what the team does going forward," he added.
Joe Root led England in 65 Test matches during his first spell, securing 27 victories – the most by a captain for Three Lions.
Alongside Root's return, the ECB appointed former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming as England's new Test head coach after Brendon McCullum relinquished the post last month.
Since Fleming will not arrive until later in the summer, assistant coach Marcus Trescothick will take interim charge for the immediate upcoming matches.
